Protected photographic film



Aug. 11, 1925. 1,548,951

L. J. MALONE PROTECTED PHOTOGRAPHI C FILM Filed June 29, 1923 Adherentilgribleli'msyamnt'oaiz'rg 015511922420 and an, m mwfle bzzzy z'rzdzwez; SW2 as buZyZ alcoZwL.

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v v a 7W ATTORN EY Patented Aug. ll, l92d.

unites stares LESTER J. MALONE, 0F ROQJHESTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNUR TU EASTMAN KODAK 130M- PANY, OF ROCHESTER, NEW

YORK, A. GGRPORATIGN HEW JOEE.

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Application filed June 29, 3923. Serial 1%. 64%;573.

To all whomit may cmwem:

Be it known that l, Lns'rnn J. MALONE, a citizen of the United States of .i'tinerica, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful .lnopurovcments in Protected Photographic Films, of which the following is a full, clear, and QXEi'Cl] specification.

This invention relates to protected photographic films and com'oositions for producing such protection. brie object of the in vention is to provide a flexible photographic film having a gelatin image-bearing layer with a protecting coating which is firmly adherent to the gelatin and is at the same time flexible and transparent. Another object of the invention is to provide a protected motion picture film in which the gelatin imagedill hearing layer is covered by an adherent, flexible, transparent coating which does not obstruct the usual sprocket-engaging marginal perforations; Another object of the invention. is to provide a film varnish composition vvhich will strongly adhere to the image-bearing lace of a flexible photographic film, which. will flow readily, dry quickly, give a hard smooth surface and yet remain flexible and transparent Without increasing the inllainmability of the film as a whole. ()thcr objects will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a motion picture film embodying my invention, parts being broken away for the sake of clearncss; I

2 is a diagrammatic sectional view of a film embodying my invention, the parts being exaggerated for the sake of clearness.

As is Well known, it is desirable to profeet the gelatin image-hearing layers of flexible photographic 'fihnstrom scratching and dirt. Moreover, it is desirable that the protective coating for this purpose he one hat can be washed with Water, will be highly resistant to scratching, will be flexible and transparent and Will not increase the infiammability of the film. It is likewise desirable that the coating material flow readily and dry quickly, so that the maximum capacity of the coating apparatus may be utilized. It is, moreover, useful to have the coating as thin as possible Without impairing its protective qualities, in order that the passage of the film through. the usual apparatus may not be impaired by excessive thickness. This is particularly true. of motion picture film, the marginal perforations of which must also be kept substantially free from obstruction by the coating material.

I have discovered that a protective coating having the above mentioned desirable qualities can be preparedby using shellac and an organic substance of low volatility which enhances the flexibility of it, the two remaining together in a transparent layer in colloidizecl form. la the preferred ennbodinicnt of my invention 1 use as the flexibility-in lucer for the shellac a lower monohydroxy aliphatic alcohol containing from at to 5 carbon. atoms, such for example as butyl alcohol, isobutyl alcohol, arnyl alcohol, isoumyl alcohol, or a mixture of two or more of these. Qt course, equivalent softening materials of similar low volatility and flexibility-inducing qualities may he suhstituted. l have discovered that such substances, of which. normal hutyl alcohol is typical, induce flexibility Without impairing the transparency and Without preventing a lirm adhesion between the protective coating and the gelatin image-hearing" layer. These substances, moreover, have the property of giving the finished shellac layer a pa culia'rly smooth surface which is advantage ous in the case of motion picture film which passes rapidly through projecting machines.

The compositions may vary Widely and the, following details are, therefore, givenhy way of illustration, except as indicated in the claims. The shellac should preferably he substantially free from moisture and was, so that these materials Will not he precipitatcd out when the shellac is dissolved and produce cloudiness or reduce transparency. In the case of motion picture films it is likewise desirable that the shellac he bleached so as to give a substantially colorless transparent coating. The ethyl alcohol, which is preferably used as a common solvent for the shellac and flexibility-inducing substance, may be the commercially pure substance or the more readily available denatured forms such as those containing the legally re scribed small amounts of methyl alcoho' or pyridine, etc. The fiexihilitydnducing suh- "llll stance is preferably substantially free from moisture, any good clear butyl alcohol or fusel oil being useful, for instance.

By Way of example, 100 parts by Weight of shellac and 3 to 100 parts of a flexibilityinducing substance, say butyl alcohol, ll dissolve in from 160 to 1900 parts of ethyl alcohol, pure or denatured. One formula which. I have found to work ,very well in high speed coating machines is: 100 parts shellac by weight, parts of butyl alcohol and 900 parts of denatured ethyl alcohol. This coats motion picture film satisfactorily at the rate of thirty feet per minute at 70 to 90 F. This gives a very thin coating Which, however, has the desirable properties hereinabove enumerated.

These protective shellac coatings can, of course, be applied by hand using a brush or immersing the film, but are particularly useful when applied by any of the well known high speed film coating devices. The support tor the gelatin image-bearin layer may, of course, be any suitable material, although in the preferred form of my invention l use transparent cellulosic film bases of nitrocellulose, acetyl cellulose or cellulose ether rather than paper, the latter, however, being useful. lt will be apparent that the coating operation may readily be repeated it" the first protective coating should in time become scratched. The coating is sulliciently resistant to water to be washable where the customary care is exercised in film finishing studios.

weasel tcrs Patent is:

1. A protected photographic film comprising a flexible support, a. gelatin image-bean ing layer on said support, and a flexible transparent protective coating over said layer and firmly adherent thereto, said coating comprising a colloidized mixture of shellac and an organic substance ol low volatility which enhances the flexibility thereof.

2. A protected motion picture film comprising a flexible transparent support, a gelatin hinge-bearing layer on said support, and a flexible transparent protective coating over said layer and firmly adherent thereto, said coating comprising shellac and a lower monohydroxy aliphatic alcohol containing from 4. to 5 carbon atoms, said film having sprocketengaging perforations adjacent its margins substantially free from obstruction by said coating.

Signed at Rochester, New York this 15th day of June, 1928.

LESTER J. MALONE.

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